SMU QB Bo Levi Mitchell: 2009 Breakout Star?

Coach Junes Jones put Hawaii on the college fantasy football map with a record-breaking, high octane aerial attack. He made household names of quarterbacks Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan.

After leading his Rainbow Warriors to a Sugar Bowl berth following the 2007 season, Jones surprised many by leaving the lush, green islands for hot and dusty Texas.

In his first year at SMU, Jones wasted no time in putting his own unique stamp on the program. He shocked most by rolling with freshman Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback instead of incumbent starter Justin Willis.

Mitchell took his lumps last season, throwing nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns.

With a full off-season under his belt, will BLM take his game to the next level in 2009?

What’s the scoop? There are three reasons to really like BLM’s fantasy prospects this fall:

1. The Schedule:

Other than back-to-back dates with TCU and East Carolina in October, the schedule appears to be quite favorable. It’s also noteworthy that the stretch run leading into the fantasy playoffs consists of four potential shootouts against Houston, Tulsa, Rice, and UTEP.

June Jones built a finely tuned passing machine in Hawaii. It’s only a matter of time before he transforms SMU into a similar force.

Below are the QB stats for Jones’ last five years in Hawaii compared with his first year at SMU. Note the large gap that exists between 2008 and the rest of the years.

While nobody expects BLM to go out there this fall and perform like the Colt Brennan of 2006, it is reasonable to expect a significant statistical improvement. And in this offensive system, the sky’s the limit.

Att.

Comp.

Int

Yards

TD

Fantasy Pts

2008-SMU

476

269

25

3275

29

247.00

2007-Hawaii

663

459

23

5713

51

432.52

2006-Hawaii

615

444

12

6178

62

495.12

2005-Hawaii

578

379

15

4611

37

332.44

2004-Hawaii

636

370

18

4402

38

328.08

2003-Hawaii

754

444

27

5382

42

383.28

3. The Wideouts

Junior Aldrick Robinson and senior Emmanuel Sanders both return to form one of the best wide receiver tandems in Conference USA. They both had nice seasons last year despite getting suspended for the final two games by Coach Jones for breaking team rules.

In his first three years as a Mustang, Sanders has caught 187 balls for 2,452 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Barring any more run-ins with the coaching staff, we expect both of them to surpass the 1,000 yard-10 touchdown mark in 2009.

If your fantasy draft was today (03/16/09)....

Bo Levi Mitchell is one of the more intriguing prospects of the upcoming season. We think he is certainly a Top 20 quarterback in All-120 leagues, and has the potential to finish in the Top 10. Consider him a very strong second quarterback, or if you are a bit of a risk-taker, a low-end No. 1.

Todd DeVries is the founder of CollegeFootballGeek.com, your premier resource for college fantasy football information. Check us out.